In this month of May 2023, we welcomed Bruno Afonso Torrão Vaz as our new International Director.

Bruno Vaz replaced João Henriques, who will continue to collaborate with Consulgal, as a Consultant for the development and management of the African market.

The admission of Bruno Vaz is part of the strategy of modernizing and rejuvenating our staff. It is also the return of a technician who clearly showed his merit in our Baixo Sabor Dam construction supervision contract, as well as in his subsequent mission in Bulgaria, in our construction supervision contract of the sanitation and water supply system in the city of Vratsa. After a period of almost 6 years in Mexico, as Operations Manager at Fenix, an electricity producing company of the Mota-Engil Group, Bruno Vaz now takes on the challenge of strengthening and expanding Consulgal’s international presence.

We thank João Henriques for everything he did for our company and we wish all the best to Bruno Vaz.

On the 14th of June, Consulgal will hold a workshop on innovation in the construction industry.

This event, with the participation of national and international speakers (presentations will be available in Portuguese and English), aims to be a forum for discussion about the incentives and opportunities available for companies in the Construction sector to innovate their methodologies and services and also to see some innovative solutions already developed or under development.

Participation is free, but subject to prior mandatory registration through the link:

https://forms.office.com/e/2bbbvtY3d2

Join us to find out what’s new in the Construction Industry and how your company can be even more innovative!

Consulgal participated in the Entrepreneurship Seminars at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria.

Under the scope of strenghtning the collaboration with educational institutions and attracting young talent, Fausto Brito e Abreu, CONSULGAL Board Member, presented the company’s activities in the field of the Blue Economy, and part of its professional career, to final year students of the Higher School of Tourism and Sea Technology (Escola Superior de Turismo and Tecnologia do Mar), in Peniche, on the 9th of March.

These Entrepreneurship Seminars are organized within the scope of the degree in Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Curricular Units of “Entrepreneurship Management”, “Internship” and “Project”. These seminars attract many interested parties, being open to the entire academic community and the general public.

Consulgal participates in Another Day At The Office – ADATO, organized by JuniFEUP (Junior Entreprise of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto), which will take place on March 14, 2023.

ADATO is an event that promotes networking between students and companies in a more informal and direct context – “no ties, no stalls, no complications”.

Participation in ADATO, like the recent launch of Academia Consulgal, is part of the company’s policy of openness to collaboration with universities, national and foreign, and of welcoming young professionals, whether for internships or to strenghten its staff.

We are waiting for you at FEUP for another work day with us!

On the 28th of February, the two tunnel sections met, between Santos and Estrela stations.

Lisbon Metro’s Circle Line project involves extending the Yellow Line by around 1,984 m, between Rato and Cais do Sodré stations, in a double-track tunnel. The project includes the construction of two ventilation shafts and two new stations: Estrela Station, which will be around 54 m deep, and Santos Station, which will be around 24 m deep. The project also includes the connection with the metro network to the North (in Campo Grande) through the connection between the existing viaducts of the Green Line and the Yellow Line. The tunnel was executed in NATM for almost its entire length, excavated from 2 shafts (1 existing and a new one), with the exception of the final 650 m, from the future Santos station to the current Cais do Sodré station, built by the Cut & Cover method.

On the 28th of February, the two tunnel sections met, between Santos and Estrela stations.

Consulgal, integrating an ACE with Tecnoplano, is responsible for supervising this work, continuing the company’s solid experience in this type of project, consolidated in Portugal, Hungary, Brazil and Macau.

Kuddos to the Consulgal and Tecnoplano team!

CONSULGAL is present at the main sessions of the World Ocean Summit & Expo, which takes place in Lisbon between February 27th and March 1st.

Organized by The Economist magazine, this is a global event that brings together a broad cross-sector ocean-related community, including business, governments, national and international policy makers, civil society and academia.

In recent years, CONSULGAL has refocused its strategic focus on the Economy of the Sea, seeking to develop business in the areas of oceanic renewable energies, maritime and port works, aquaculture, desalination projects, green hydrogen and synthetic fuels.

In the photo, from left to right: Ruben Eiras (Forum Oceano) and Fausto Brito e Abreu (Consulgal)

Another plenary meeting of the Innovation project ZDMP – Zero Defects Manufacturing Platform

Another plenary meeting of the Innovation project ZDMP – Zero Defects Manufacturing Platform, in which Consulgal has participated since its inception in January 2019, with 34 other European partners, has ended. The meeting took place in Steyr, Austria, organized by the Steyr based partner, PROFACTOR.

With the platform in the final testing phase and with the Marketplace in the final adjustments to ‘go live’ in the coming months, it is confirmed that the project results in an innovative solution that will provide industry around the world with a powerful resource for acquiring and developing IT solutions that will allow it to improve its processes with the aim of achieving zero defects.

Proof of this were the demonstrations of the four pilots from as many industrial sectors, highlighting the Construction pilot led by Consulgal.
In this meeting, we showed, on video, the implementation of the entire pilot concept, using the apps developed for us, from the production of construction materials to their location in a work site, demonstrating that the digitization of construction is a reality and putting Consulgal in the ‘fast track’ of this process.

Thank you PROFACTOR for the excellent organization! Attention now turns to the DMIS – Digital Manufacturing Industrial Summit, taking place at the end of April in Valencia.

CONSULGAL also expressed its interest in rganising the project’s final plenary meeting, in Lisbon, mid-June.

Strenghtening the Blue Economy strategy.

In recent years, CONSULGAL has refocused its corporate strategy on Blue Economy, seeking to develop business in the areas of oceanic renewable energies, maritime and port works, aquaculture, desalination projects, green hydrogen and synthetic fuels. It is in this context that CONSULGAL joined the Forum Oceano, reinforcing its strategic commitment to establishing new partnerships and business opportunities with Forum members, to carry out innovative Research and Development projects.

CONSULGAL’s portfolio is rich in Blue Economy related projects including the more recent feasibility study for the supply of Shore to Ship (OPS) electricity in the Port of Setubal’s 8 port terminals, consultancy services and construction supervision of the Port of Nacala infrastructures, in Mozambique, among others.

Forum Oceano is the entity that manages the Portuguese Sea Cluster. Its mission is to reinforce strategic cooperation dynamics between stakeholders – companies, RTD centres, higher education institutions, Public Administration bodies – to promote innovation, qualified employment and the competitiveness of companies that use the Sea and marine resources as core elements of its activity, contributing to the digitization, decarbonization and circularity of the Blue Economy’s production processes.

In 2023, CONSULGAL celebrates 40 years of existence.

In 2023, CONSULGAL celebrates 40 years of existance, full of successful studies, projects and management and supervision of large transport, environment and energy infrastructure projects, as well as of important and emblematic buildings.

These projects have marked progress in these four decades in Portugal and in the countries where we have worked in these years, in Europe, Asia, Africa and America.

During this period, the world went through a significant qualitative and technological transformation that the CONSULGAL Group has always accompanied at the forefront.

The future is a permanent challenge for which we must always be prepared, involving the current and new generations and, in order to respond to this challenge, we must also be always present.

In 2023, CONSULGAL celebrates 40 years of activity and success.

Since its foundation in 1983, still under the name of CONSULGAL – Consultores de Projectos Industriais, Lda, CONSULGAL has been participating in the implementation of large national and international infrastructure projects, contributing to development and progress.

Supported by the excellence of its employees, whom we thank for their commitment, support and dedication, CONSULGAL – Consultores de Engenharia e Gestão has consolidated, over these 40 years, its position as one of the most renowned Portuguese Engineering companies.

Join us in this year of celebrations.

Happy 2023!

The Calheta Strait – Jardim do Mar – Phase B Road Section was openned on the 14th of December 2022.

The Calheta Strait – Jardim do Mar – Phase B Road Section was inaugurated on the 14th of December 2022, being open to car traffic from that date onwards, notwithstanding to the continuation of the construction work contract which, although subject to specific circumstances, does not prevent the operability of its use.

CONSULGAL is responsible for works supervision which, in addition to the effort put into fulfilling the objective of opening to traffic on the scheduled date, will now have an increased job of coordinating and supervising the work without this posing a risk to users of that road section.

The 1st construction contract for the Central and University Hospital of Madeira, whose construction supervision and coordination is under the responsibility of a Consortium led by CONSULGAL, is nearing completion.

This first phase of construction concerns the excavation and peripheral containment, preparing the work site for the start of the 2nd construction contract, comprising structures and landscaping, which is expected to start in November 2022.

Well done to our team involved in this project!

On October 21, 2022, at its new facilities, CONSULASIA signed a new protocol with CCCC Third Harbor Consultants Company Limited (CCCC3).

As part of a policy of strategic consolidation in the Asian market, CONSULASIA has been strengthening partnerships, in particular with the aim of cementing its position in the Greater Bay Area market, which is already under development.

In this context, on October 21, 2022, at its new facilities, CONSULASIA signed a new protocol with CCCC Third Harbor Consultants Company Limited (CCCC3), a subsidiary company of a gigantic Chinese conglomerate, CCCC – China Communications Construction Company Limited (http://en.ccccltd.cn/).

The partnership with CCCC3 began in June 2010 with the signing of a first memorandum of understanding in Macau at the headquarters of CONSULASIA. In October of the same year, CONSULASIA visited the CCCC3 offices in Shanghai where a new cooperation agreement was ratified and signed.
Among the cooperation carried out between the two companies, the different phases of the Zone A landfill project stand out, which currently constitutes the most important support base for urban development and construction in Macau.

This new agreement will pave the way for an increase in inter-enterprise cooperation promoting better conditions to face the new challenges, in particular those inherent to the development of this extraordinary megalopolis “Canton-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area”.

CONSULGAL’s experience in ANGOLA is deeply rooted in Water Supply and Sanitation Projects.

We are proud to announce that a Consortium led by CONSULGAL has successfully concluded, in June 2022, the Contract for the “Design Review and Construction Supervision of the Water Supply Network and Household Connections in the City of Huambo – Lot 2”.

The objective of this project, led by the Government of the Republic of Angola, is part of the established objective of strengthening the institutional capacity and improving the efficiency of the Angolan government agencies in the water sector, with a view to improving the population’s access to the provision of water services.

As a result of this project, since May 2022, 16,634 homes are connected to the water supply network and have access to these services in the city of Huambo, Angola.

The most relevant aspects of the project are the following:

• Supply network in High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) tubes.
  • More than 157 km of Distribution Network in HDPE tube.
  • More than 6 km of Main Pipelines in HDPE pipe.
• Hydromechanical accessories:
  • 3,279 isolating valves
  • 9 suction cups
  • 10 background downloads
  • 36 flowmeters
  • 276 shut-off valves
• Home connections:
  • 16,634 home connections

The general objective of this consultancy contract was to review the water distribution network detailed design and supervise the construction works, as a representative of the Employer.

CONSULGAL started, in July 2022, the study and detailed design of the access to the Alfarelos Railway Terminal – 2nd phase, for Infraestruturas de Portugal.

This new road access covers the municipalities of Montemor-o-Velho and Soure, namely the parishes of Montemor-o-Velho, Gatões and Ulmeiro, starting at the existing roundabout connecting the A 14 – Motorway Figueira da Foz/ Coimbra (North), and ending at the EN 347 roundabout which guarantees access to the Montemor-o-Velho High Performance Centre, adjacent to the Rowing Track.

The variant under study will make it possible to correct the road structure at the municipal and sub-regional scale, as well as to improve accessibility conditions to the TMIP and the rapidly developing industrial zones located south of the Mondego River.

It will, thus, constitute a quick connection corridor through the A14 to the A1 and IP3 (east) and the A 17 (west), and a mobilizing project for the region. It will also be key for reducing the negative impacts that affect the population residing in the urban area of ​​Montemor-o-Velho, which is buffeted by the constant crossing of vehicles, especially heavy load traffic.

The variant will involve an investment of around €23 million and will include an 800m long viaduct.

COTEC Portugal – Associação Empresarial para a Inovação (Business Association for Innovation) awarded the COTEC Innovative Status 2022 to CONSULGAL.

The Innovative Status has as its central objectives, on the one hand, the promotion of public recognition of companies that, due to their innovation performance, constitute examples of value creation for the country and, on the other hand, the establishment of a network of partners that value this distinction, enhancing mutual benefits for innovative companies.

In the last 20 years, CONSULGAL has participated in several Research, Development and Innovation projects, most of them funded under the various programs launched by the European Commission in this field, namely FP7 and Horizon 2020. CONSULGAL is now preparing its participation in new projects, either under the Horizon Europe program or as part of national programmes.

On the 18th of April 2022, CONSULGAL, through its subsidiary Consulgal Perú, started the supervision of rehabilitation interventions on the Vicachani – Callabri – Sibayo road, in the province of Arequipa, Peru. The contract has an expected duration of 20 months.

With an investment of 210,911,327 Soles (equivalent to 46 million Euros), the intervention covers 4 sections of the road infrastructure, totaling 48 km, and is carried out at altitudes between 3909 meters and 4691 meters.

With the objective of improving the road pavement in the Province of Caylloma, Region of Arequipa, the project aims to guarantee a safe and efficient flow of traffic, maintaining a traffic speed according to the geographical conditions, thus reducing the operational costs of the vehicles, which will reflect in the reduction of transport costs to the area and in the improvement in the population’s quality of life.

This is the most recent of 11 contracts already implemented or being implemented by Consulgal in Peru, since 2019, through its branch in that country.

¡Enhorabuena Consulgal Peru!

CONSULGAL and CONSULGAL BRASIL are part of the ICC consortium responsible for supervising São Paulo Metro Line 2 – Green expansion works, the services having started on the 22nd of June 2022 and an expected duration of 63 months

The expansion works, with an investment value of 6.4 billion Reais (1,160 million Euros), will make of Line 2-Green the longest in the São Paulo Metro system, with 23 kilometers, connecting it to Line 3-Red in Penha.

This extension will have an average use of over 320 thousand passengers per working day and will be served by another 22 carriages on the line, leading to a decrease in travel times for São Paulo’s East Zone population (the most populous area in the city with approximately 5 million people) and to a redistribution of the passengers flow across the entire metro network.

The Consortium’s services cover the construction supervision of approximately 8.4 km of tunnels, conducted using the NATM and SHIELD (TBM) methods, of 4 of the 8 new stations of the extension (Vila Formosa, Santa Isabel, Guilherme Giorgi and Aricanduva) and the construction of the Rapadura Complex that will include Carriages Yard and Maintenance Workshops.

Congratulations to Consulgal Brasil team for yet another success!

22 years ago, on the 3rd of July 2000, the Madeira Airport runway extension started operation

This is a landmark in Consulgal’s history, as our company was responsible for project management and construction supervision both of the runway extension and of the airport terminal, support buildings and airport accesses, having been also involved in earlier works related to the length increase of the original runway.

This project, one of the most complex being implemented in the World at that time, winner of the Outstanding Structure Award 2004 by IABSE (International Association of Bridges and Structural Engineering), was essential for Madeira’s development and affirmation as leading tourist destination.

It was also essential for consolidation of Consulgal’s competences and experience on studies, design, management and construction supervision of airports, which allowed our company to implement projects of the same scope in other countries and to position itself as the most experienced Portuguese company in this field.

Thank you to all who participated in this project of which we are proud and congratulations to Madeira International Airport, presently Cristiano Ronaldo Airport.

The Blue Economy is a key priority in the business development strategy of Consulgal

Consulgal was represented in the main events of the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon (27 june-1 July, 2022)

The UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal, gathers representatives from 159 countries, and comes at a critical time as the world is seeking to mobilize public and private sector stakeholders, to find solutions to the problems affecting the oceans, to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

(in the photo, from left to right, Fausto Brito e Abreu (Consulgal), Madalena Callé Lucas (EDP) , Joana Vieira da Silva (APA))

Another plenary meeting of the Innovation project ZDMP – Zero Defect Manufacturing Platform, in which Consulgal participates as Construction pilot leader, took place from the 27th to the 30th of June, in Berlin

Hosted by DIN – Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute for Standardisation) and only 6 months away from the end of the project, the meeting allowed to assess the platform’s development status as well as that of the applications developed for the 4 pilots (Electronics, Construction, Machine Tools and Automotive), as well as define the final touches to the platform’s business model and the definition of new project dissemination actions.

Consulgal presented some of the apps developed for its pilot to the Advisory Board, a group of 4 external experts, being the only pilot to do this. Moreover, in the scope of the Gender Balance Team, in which Consulgal participates with 5 other consortium members, Consulgal was involved in the preparation of a draft guidance document that will be presented to the European Commission to be taken as reference for the promotion of gender balance in future Horizon Europe projects.

Thank you to Christian Grunewald for organising the meeting and for being and excellent host and thank you to all consortium partners for yet another inspiring and productive event.

Design and Supervision, a service built for infrastructures that require high resilience to extreme climate events.

CONSULGAL is the leader of a Consortium that develops solutions to improve the resilience of the infrastructures that will be rehabilitated under the reconstruction program in the city of Beira, in which the negative impacts of phenomena associated with climate change are mitigated.

The Contract with the “Gabinete de Recuperação Pós-Ciclone” (GREPOC) includes the design up to the detailed project and the supervision of the rehabilitation works of various infrastructures destroyed by cyclone Idai.

The technical solutions being developed are aligned with the principles of Build Back Better (BBB), thus ensuring resilient rehabilitation.

CONSULGAL consolidates its commitment to Maritime Economics, Environment and Renewable Energy

Hired as Management Board Assistant Director, Fausto Brito e Abreu has vast professional experience in the public sector, with extensive work in the areas of Maritime Economics and the Environment, having gained recognition in roles such as Director General of Maritime Policy and as Azores Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology.

Working directly with the Management Board, Fausto Brito e Abreu will be responsible for identifying new projects, partnerships and businesses in the areas of Maritime Economics, Environment and Renewable Energies, as well as in the fields of Innovation, Research and Development, Space, and Security and National Defense, including opportunities arising from the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

CONSULGAL’s commercial activity in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (RAM) has been one of the company’s strategic priorities in recent years, whose visible expression has been the presence of CONSULGAL in the largest and most important projects in the region, with special emphasis on the supervision of public works of transport, energy and environment infrastructure.

The effort to maintain this prominent position in the RAM market has been accompanied by the strengthening of CONSULGAL’s technical staff, which has allowed it to respond to the requests of Clients in the region, resulting in the award of 7 new contracts in the past 6 months.

Congratulations to everybody in the Madeira Operations Division team!

CONSULGAL’s buiding and rehabilition design team reinforced by the creation of a new “Building and Special Structures Department”, managed by Paulo Reis

CONSULGAL is consolidating its growing potential in building and rehabilitation design, by the addition of Paulo Reis expertise, highly recognised  on the area, Ex President of the Southern Chapter of the Portuguese Engineers Association and founder of ESTIPLANO.

This reorganisation, became necessary by the growing demand in the industrial and real estate market, CONSULGAL adds skills in rehabilitation and building design to its large knowledge in bridges and special structures.

Classified as a large-scale project by the MTC, this road will provide greater safety to passers-by, as various landslides have been recorded in this area, justifying its classification as critical sector. Likewise, the construction of a tunnel will also prevent traffic to the center of Ollachea from being interrupted by falling rocks on the highway.

The Ollaechea Avoidance road extends 1274.00 m from South to North and starts at the junction of the future Ollaechea Tunnel at km 232 + 572.546. It, then, runs along the existing Interoceanica Sur highway until it meets the entrance to Ollaechea town, continues, adapting to the terrain morphology, through the 144.68 m long Bridge 1, followed by a sharp turn to finally cross the Osjo River ravine, through the sloped and curved 129.60 m long Bridge 2, connecting to the existing Interoceanica Sur highway at km 233 + 846.637.

The value of the works amount to USD 23 774 534 and are scheduled to end in February 2023, 28 months after starting.

Macao Infrastructure Development Office invited CONSULASIA to submit a proposal for the Public Housing Construction Works Supervision Services in Lot B4 in Zone A (Superstructure Work). The proposal submitted by CONSULASIA was approved and subsequently awarded directly, without tender. The project’s duration is 930 days.

The Project involves a team of 14 technicians, namely: civil engineer (team leader), assistant civil engineer, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, four civil construction inspectors, two electrical inspectors, mechanical inspector, surveyor and two safety inspectors.

The construction work was awarded, through a public tender, to the Macanese company “Ming Shun Building Construction and Investment Company” for a global amount of MOP 1,296,500,000 (148.1 Million Euros).

The official groundbreaking ceremony for the construction works was made on March 30, 2022, including the traditional Blessing (locally called by “Bai San”), with the presence of representatives of the various entities involved, including Eng. Helder Santos, General Director of CONSULASIA.

365 days since the Commencement Order of the 1st lot of the Rato-Cais Sodré Extension and Campo Grande Viaducts.

14 April 2022 marks one year since the consignment of the Design – Build Contract for the Extension of the Rato- Santos Yellow Line – Lot 1 of the Lisbon Metro Circular Line.

The project includes 1984 m of double-track tunnel, 2 new stations – Estrela and Santos, 2 new ventilation wells and a new atrium at the Cais Sodré station.

The lines connection to the north, in Campo Grande, is also planned, with the creation of 2 new sections between the existing viaducts, which will allow the ring connection of the Green Line, coming from Alvalade, with the ‘Cidade Universitária’ section, from the Yellow Line and also the connection between the stations of Telheiras and Quinta das Conchas.

These works have a total expected duration of 4 years, with completion in the 2nd half of 2024.

The Group awarded the Coordination and Supervision contract has currently mobilized a multidisciplinary team of 33 technicians, being responsible for the activities of Administrative Management, Works Planning and Execution Control, Verification, Costs and Quantities Control, Quality System Management, Environmental System Management, Health and Safety on site and also Risk Management, Interfaces and RAMS Supervision.

The scope of the intervention encompasses 4 different contracts that include Roughwork, Finishes, Track, Signaling, Mechanical Access, Ventilation and Fumes Removal, Pumping, Medium-Voltage and Low-Voltage, SCIE.

The Macao Hazardous Waste Treatment Plant was designed to meet the need for incineration of waste which, due to its physicochemical characteristics (flammability, corrosive, reactivity, toxicity and pathogenicity) is considered hazardous. This type of waste requires special attention due to the potential to cause damage to the environment and to people who directly or indirectly come into contact with it. The treatment plant processes hospital waste, tires, animal corpses, oils, etc.

Following the launch of a Public Tender, the Government of Macao, through the Directorate of Environmental Protection Services (DSPA), awarded the Operation and Maintenance contract for this Plant to the Joint Venture formed by SINOGAL (a Macau company dedicated to Waste Management , part of CONSULGAL Group) and by SESC – Sino Environmental Services Corporation (leading company in the field of environmental protection in Taiwan). SINOGAL, a company owned by CONSULASIA and CONSULGAL, holds 70% of the Joint Venture.

This contract started in May 2010 and, following the successful services implementation, this concession was successively extended until 2022.

Due to the territory’s exponential growth and the corresponding increase in the production of waste considered to be hazardous, DSPA decided to build a new, more modern plant with greater capacity. The new plant has two processing units that can process up to 33.3 tons per day in total, namely:

– a Fixed hearth incinerator, with a maximum daily capacity of 19.2 tons.

– a Rotary kiln incinerator, with a maximum capacity of 12.1 tons per day.

For the concession of Operation and Maintenance Services, the DSPA chose once again the Joint Venture formed by Sinogal and ECOVE (the new name of the Taiwanese Company). The new contract will start on May 1, 2022 and will last for 9 months.